Recognizes the bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism of the soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines who participated in Operation Eagle Claw (the April 24, 1980, rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran).
Remembers in particular the sacrifice of those who died in that attempt.
Commends all of the Special Operation Forces currently in service.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 256 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 256
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in remembrance of
the brave servicemen who perished in the disastrous April 24, 1980,
rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 3, 2005
Mr. Saxton (for himself, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Akin,
Mr. Andrews, Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Marshall, Mr. LoBiondo,
Mr. Hefley, Mr. Kline, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, and Mr. McIntyre)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in remembrance of
the brave servicemen who perished in the disastrous April 24, 1980,
rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran.
Whereas on November 4, 1979, Islamic extremists stormed the United States
Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American hostages, 13 of whom were
released on November 19 and 20, 1979;
Whereas after months of diplomatic negotiations, planning, and intergovernmental
debate, a complex rescue mission dubbed ``Operation Eagle Claw'' was
approved by President Carter on April 16, 1980;
Whereas on April 24, 1980, a Task Force comprised of United States Army Special
Operations Forces, Army Rangers, Air Force Special Operations Wing
personnel, and United States Navy, Marine, and Air Force pilots
succeeded in moving thousands of miles undetected until reaching a
remote location in the Iranian desert known by the code name ``Desert
One'';
Whereas due to mechanical failures and weather problems only 6 out of 8
helicopters successfully arrived at Desert One;
Whereas at Desert One, a combination of helicopters and MC-130/EC-130 gunships
rendezvoused with the intention of rescuing the hostages 200 miles away
in Tehran the following evening;
Whereas 6 helicopters was the minimum number of helicopters that could
successfully complete Operation Eagle Claw;
Whereas the bravery, dedication, and level of operational expertise of the men
who participated in the mission were evident from the onset and tested
by the mechanical and weather problems suffered in route to the
rendezvous point;
Whereas within minutes of the arrival of the MC-130 Combat Talon at Desert One,
the ground security force stopped a bus with 44 Iranians aboard and then
a gasoline truck was blown up when it tried to pass through a roadblock
that shielded the western entrance to Desert One;
Whereas once all of the helicopters had arrived, the rescue attempt was dealt
its final blow when it was learned that one of the helicopters had lost
its primary hydraulic system and was unsafe to use fully loaded for the
final assault on Tehran;
Whereas once the aircraft began moving into position to return to their
respective launching points, one of the helicopters collided with a C-
130 aircraft on the ground;
Whereas flames engulfed the helicopter and the C-130 and resulted in the death
of 5 airmen and 3 Marines;
Whereas other soldiers were burned but survived, while their fellow soldiers
acted bravely in restoring order and managed to evacuate the wounded men
and salvageable equipment back to friendly territory;
Whereas Members of Congress were dismayed with the poor equipment, lack of
funding, and inattention given to our special operations forces that
came to light because of this aborted mission;
Whereas in response, legislation was enacted to form the United States Special
Operations Command;
Whereas USSOCOM continues to prove its immense value to our national defense as
witnessed by the sterling performance of our special operations forces
in Afghanistan, Iraq, and many other countries of the world; and
Whereas we owe a great debt of gratitude to the members and families of our
Special Operations Forces: Now therefore be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism of
the soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines who participated in
Operation Eagle Claw; and
(2) commends all of the Special Operation Forces currently
in service.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. Saxton moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4810-4813)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 256.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H4810)
On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4810)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
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